In Their Own Words and the other 9/11
By Ana María Muñoz

On September 11, Teatro Santa Ana featured In Their Own Words, directed by Alan Jordan and Kirsten Dehner. I wanted to get out because I was so shaken, but I really appreciated this representation for several reasons. To begin with, this play takes us to the origins of theater, bringing us alive to the personal experience of people affected by political violence. One of the roles that theater has played in all societies is keeping the memory alive about remarkable situations and deeds.

The actors were placed on stage in a way that reminded me of the chorus in Greek theater. That is the collective unconscious about what is going on—the alter ego of society. The script was organized with a heart-beating progression, making the audience, and me especially, get involved in the confusion, fear, impotence and anger that these people experienced.

We humans cannot seem give up war when the desire for control and power grows ambitious. Violence turns everybody crazy. Theater provides a mirror, through the distancing of the stage, so people are able to digest what is going on. In Their Own Words shows us the human point of view of that horrible day.

This play inspires me to talk about the “other 9/11.” It was also a Tuesday, but was 1973 and I was 16. I was able to witness, from my window, the bombs falling over president Allende’s house in Santiago de Chile. It looked and sounded just like in the movies, but it was real. I don’t want to talk about the horror of 17 years of military dictatorship, but I want to talk about theater then.

In those dark years, theater became the door to channel the pain, the grief, the anger and impotence caused by a war against civilians that dreamt about a better world. Persecuted people jumped over the walls of embassies and lived in exile after this. Plays talked about people living in foreign countries, against their will, who never undid their suitcases hoping to go back home soon. Actor Roberto Parada was performing a play in 1984 about exile when he was told, during the intermission, that his son had been brutally murdered for political reasons. He finished the performance.

Plays talked about missing people and the violence and fear that Chilean society was living. They were a relief because we were able to put ourselves back together by taking the horror to stage. People in political prison camps did theater and that helped them heal the violence they endured. Theater was our support and our weapon when speaking out could have cost our lives. People in Chile sill get crazy on 9/11 every year.

Thank you Alan, thank you Kirsten and thanks so much to all the actors, who passed through hard emotions and gave us such strong images. This play reminds us about the dark side of human beings and also reminds us how much we want peace.

Ana María Muñoz directs “The Pleasure of Acting” improv workshop.